The LA Auto Show gets a new look and LA swears in a new police chief…again. On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, with the world now focused on Afghanistan, what about the war in Iraq? Can civilian government be stabilized? Is the alternative renewed violence that would pull US troops back into action? What would that mean for the surge in Afghanistan?

FROM THIS EPISODE

Auto shows of the past have emphasized LA’s love affair with the big, the fast and the glitzy. To be sure, wretched excess will be in evidence when this year’s exhibition opens tomorrow—but times have changed, and the emphasis will be on low-priced vehicles likely to sell as soon as possible. Also Chief Beck is sworn in at the LAPD. On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, with the world now focused on Afghanistan, what about the war in Iraq? Can civilian government be stabilized? Is the alternative renewed violence that would pull US troops back into action? What would that mean for the surge in Afghanistan?

Charlie Beck was already the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, but today he was sworn in again, this time with a crowd of dignitaries, officers mounted on horses and a police helicopter performing maneuvers overhead. Rick Orlov took in the scene for the Daily News.

As the US prepares to send 30,000 or more troops to Afghanistan, Iraq has seen a dramatic decrease in violence. But politics is another matter. Today, Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi was given a few more days to approve or veto a new election law that is crucial to the benchmarks established for US withdrawal.

The exhibition opening tomorrow at the downtown convention center is not your father's LA Auto Show. Bentley, Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini won't even be there. That has a lot to do with what's selling these days and the answer is, not much. The automakers, of course, want to turn that around.